Goodness, what tea doesn’t go well with chocolate? Just about any tea you choose will go nicely with it. I prefer a black tea with chocolate, just because I like the way the deep, rich flavor of the tea brings out the deep, rich flavors of the chocolate and vice versa. For this tasting, I chose this Organic, Fair Trade Assam from Hampstead Tea.

What I Think:

The “salted” part of this chocolate bar not only offers contrast to the bitter sweet flavor of chocolate but it also adds some definition to the complexity of the chocolate. As this is a fairly large bar of chocolate, I ate it in in thirds. I ate the first third of it without giving much thought of what I was enjoying. In other words, just experiencing the joy of eating chocolate without dissecting it.

As I was eating this portion of the chocolate, all of the sudden it dawned on me that I could taste a fruity note within the chocolate – and this is something that is quite new to me. I noticed it for the first time with the Sea Salt & Nibs Chocolate Bar from Madécasse. Before that, I never really took the time to notice the complexity of chocolate. Sure, I enjoyed it, but I am almost ashamed to admit that I never really got to know it the way that I am just now getting to know chocolate.

In case you’re wondering, the second third of the chocolate bar seemed to just disappear. I don’t know HOW that happened. This phenomenon (disappearing chocolate) is something that I have noticed frequently throughout my life as a chocoholic, though I can’t really seem to explain it.

So, now I am left with my final one-third of this chocolate bar, and I am trying to focus on what I’m tasting so that I can share those thoughts and experiences with you.

The almonds are cut into small chunks. While there was a time when chocolate with almond bars were among my favorite chocolate choices, back then, I always would want the almonds to be whole. Now, I find that I appreciate the smaller chunks of almond, as this not only allows for better distribution of the nut into the chocolate, but, it also allows for a more consistent chocolate bar. The almonds add some sweetness, a delicious roasted flavor as well as a crunchy texture.

The salt of the bar is different from the typical salted chocolate confection that is popular these days. Usually, you’ll find an ample sprinkling with large flakes or grains of salt that add a little bit of texture. Here, the salt is inside the bar and in every single bite. While I do enjoy the texture of the sprinkling, I do think I like the way the salt is distributed here, as it allows for full enjoyment of the role that the salt plays in this confection. I can allow a small piece of the bar to melt slightly on my tongue and I taste not just chocolate as it melts, but also the light touch of salt. Just as the description above suggests, there is just the right amount of salt, and it interacts with the chocolate in such a beautiful way, revealing the lovely complexity of this 70% dark chocolate.

So Good!

My Final Thoughts:

I really loved this chocolate bar, and I’m glad that it was part of the Valentine’s Box from Foodzie. After perusing the Theo website and seeing their many unusual confections, this seemingly simple combination of salted almonds and dark chocolate is probably a chocolate bar I would not have selected for myself, I think I would have probably gone for something more unique (Their Chai Tea bar did NOT escape my notice!) So I am glad that someone else did the choosing for me in this case, because I really LOVED this chocolate bar!